


Could I Lie to You, I'm Just Too Weak to Face the Truth?

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Marnie and the Shark [10]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-08 10:28:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6851020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What do you mean by strange?  Odd strange, goofy strange, or strange strange?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Could I Lie to You, I'm Just Too Weak to Face the Truth?

The doorbell rang and Margaret took a deep breath. She stood in the hallway, able to see but not be seen from this vantage. The rain was falling hard and steady on a muggy August afternoon. For the first time she lied to get him there. Not a big lie, not a bad lie, but a lie nonetheless. He had been right...pick-ups, drop offs, and curt conversation. They barely spent ten minutes in the same room together though the chemistry was still there. She let Bruno take Brian to New York City for the week of his birthday. She had been under the weather and knew he would make it a weekend his son never forgot. A month later and Margaret still listened to the stories of their adventures everyday. 

He rang the bell again. She could see him shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he waited. Margaret took a last deep breath and walked to the door. Bruno gasped when he saw her on the other side of the screen door. She tried to smile as she opened the door and invited him in. 

"Where is Brian?" he asked. 

Yes, one thing at a time. 

"He's with my friend Angela and her kids for the night. They are doing pizza and a movie. How are you?" 

"You're pregnant." Bruno replied. He felt as if someone had knocked the wind out of him. 

"Yeah, almost six months." 

"Is this why you've avoided me like the plague? Margaret, I would never stand in the way of your happiness...you know me better than that." 

"Bruno..." 

"Are you feeling alright? With this humidity, it must be hard on you. Why didn't you just tell me; I could have helped wrangle Brian?" 

Why didn't Brian tell him? His son told him everything. He was only four though...he probably just thought his mother was getting fat. At that age children were selfish so he might not have any idea Margaret had changed at all. One thing Bruno learned about kids over the years is that personality mattered much more than looks. Brian could always tell what kind of mood his father was in but rarely noticed if he shaved his beard. 

"Can I get you something to eat or drink?" she asked. "I made a pretty good seafood salad on Thursday. I have been craving seafood like you wouldn't believe." 

Bruno took her hand, pulling her down on the couch next to him. 

"No, I'm fine. Why did you call me over here today Marnie? I mean I guess you couldn't hide this forever but I'm at a loss for words." 

"It changes everything." She said. 

"Yeah. What happened? I don't want to get too personal, and I seriously don't want to know, but I won't let you go through this alone. If you need me..." 

Margaret laughed and Bruno stopped mid-sentence. 

"You're finding something funny? I'm sorry but I don't." 

"Bruno, it's our baby; you and me. Again. Surprise. Though I have to commend you for offering your help when you thought it was someone else's." 

Now Bruno was speechless. He stood and began to pace the floor. Margaret refused to look at him; she knew what was next. Bruno was predictable...first shock then anger. 

"How could you keep this from me for six months? How could you do it Marnie? Explain yourself!" 

"Don't you use that tone with me. Our last conversation went so well." She mumbled. 

"That's a cop-out and you know it. You're having my baby; I deserve to be here now just as I was for Brian." 

"No Bruno, you made your choice. You're so afraid of screwing up, remember?" 

"So you hide your pregnancy? That's asinine." 

"I wasn't even sure if I was going to keep the baby." 

"I'm not having that conversation. You're way too far along and that is not an option." 

"Isn't that the story of your life Bruno? Not having the conversation. I have mulled over this, agonized, for three months. It has not been easy so don't take the high road." 

"I'll take any road I damn well please. You didn't have to agonize alone...you put this on yourself." 

"Fuck you Bruno!" 

"Whatever." 

"What was I supposed to do? Call you and you'd run? Declare you were wrong and wanted a family. I think not." 

"Marnie." 

"Oh no, instead I'm just an idiot with 2 bastard children and a father who loves them but just not enough." 

"Don't you ever call my kids bastards, do you understand me? They are loved and that's what matters." 

"They're illegitimate aren't they? Someone else might call them that and it would not be a lie." 

"Stop talking like that. They are our children Margaret." Bruno said. 

They were quiet for a while. Bruno still paced and Margaret looked down at her sandals. 

"Don't you know that more than anything I want to be with Brian all the time? And with the new baby? I miss him so much when he's not with me. And since our fight we never do family things anymore." 

"That was your decision." Margaret's tone was defensive. 

"It was not!" he exclaimed. "You did exactly what I said you would. I screwed up and you pulled away. What a person wants and what's best hardly ever coincide. It took me a long time to learn that. I thought it would make you proud that I was thinking with my head and not my dick. Didn't you say that Brian had to be considered in every decision you make? Why should I be any different?" 

"Because dammit." 

"Yes, that is the mature answer." 

Bruno smiled but the gesture was not returned. He pulled her into his arms, her pregnant belly pressed on his. 

"I love you." He said. 

She didn't respond and her expression didn't change. Bruno tilted her chin up and kissed her lips. 

"Margaret Hooper, I love you." 

"Enough to risk screwing up." 

"I love you too much to risk screwing up." 

"I can't raise two children alone Bruno, I don't know if I'm strong enough." 

"You can do anything you put your mind to. You're amazing." 

"I hate you." 

"No you don't. I'm here Marnie, and I am not going anywhere. I don't know how we do this but I don't want just to be here for the kids...I want you too. You just wanted to hear me say it didn't you?" 

"I deserve it you jerk." Margaret replied. 

"Yeah. Still, I live in New York and I have a lot of clients so relocating right now is not plausible. I'll have to woo you from a couple hundred miles away." 

"The wooing stage is long gone Bruno. I'm pregnant with our second child." 

Bruno rubbed her stomach, finally getting her to smile. 

"It's a girl this time; I'm telling you." 

"You could be right." She relented. 

"Can we still name her Theadora?" 

"I did promise you. Hold me tighter." 

Bruno held her tight against him, kissing her neck. 

"I love you so much." She said. "I need to say that aloud." 

"I love you too. God, we are having another baby. I feel like a real father...very unlike myself." 

Margaret extracted herself from his embrace. 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I picked up the phone to call you a thousand times. I just...I didn't want you to come back because of the baby. I did not want to use my pregnancy to create something that wasn't there." 

It was there; Bruno could pinpoint the exact moment in time when he fell in love with her. He repressed it for so long...couldn't believe the years apart didn't make it go away. Her having Brian only strengthened his feelings. Now she was pregnant for the second time...it was time to stop running. Since when did Bruno Gianelli run from anything? For the first time in his life he had to put someone else's feelings ahead of his own. Not just Margaret either, but their family. She would wear her stiff upper lip until the Second Coming...Margaret was one of the strongest people he knew. But the kids, they were defenseless. As hard as it was, Bruno never broke a single promise to his son. Big or small, it was of the utmost importance to him. It was getting harder to juggle the throat-cutting, ball-kicking political strategist and making sure to call his son every night at 7:30 to say goodnight. Every night. Bruno walked out of parties, dinner meetings, even dates to make sure Brian knew that daddy loved him. 

"We have to go out and celebrate." He said. "Go up and put on your best dress...I'm taking you out on the town." 

"What? Bruno..." 

"What? C'mon, dinner and maybe a little dancing will be fun. All day long you work and take care of Brian. Tonight is going to be all about Margaret. If there is one thing I know I can do it is show you a good time. C'mon, you know you want to get dressed and show off." 

"Show off what?" Margaret asked, wearing an adorable pout. "My body is grotesque." 

"No it is not." he waved away the comment. "You are stunning and you know it. Go, put on something beautiful. I will make a couple of phone calls." 

Margaret smiled, kissing his lips. She pulled away but Bruno brought her back. They kissed passionately; she melted against him. 

"We could skip dinner and get straight to dessert." She whispered, toying with his tie. "What do you think?" 

"Uh uh, we are going out on the town. I do get dessert when we get back though right?" 

"With whipped cream and a cherry on top. I'll be back." 

She went upstairs and Bruno found he could not wipe the smile off his face. He took the cell phone from his pocket and dialed out. 

***

"I want to know how you got reservations at Obelisk on a Saturday evening." She said. 

Margaret sipped her Ginger ale with cherry as she ate the world's softest and most delicious garlic bread. 

"I know people Marnie. Powerful men do not reveal their secrets." 

"You never have to impress me." 

"That is exactly why I get a kick out of doing so. I didn't know you had never been here. Who were those chumps you used to date...this is one of the finest restaurants in DC." 

His cell phone rang and Bruno looked at the display. He held up his finger. 

"I have to take this; I'll be right back." He flipped the phone. "Yeah." 

Bruno walked away from the table and toward the front of the restaurant. Checking her face in her compact, Margaret realized she could not wipe the grin from her face. Of course nothing was set in stone. Bruno still lived in New York and traveled the country for his job. At best it could be a long distance relationship for a while. Of course, that is really what it had been for the past four years. 

There had been other men for Margaret, most notably Dan Sterling, and she was sure there were other women in Bruno's life. Even though he told her that night there hadn't been anyone in over a year. After the fight she was positive he sought comfort in his little black book. Being superficial and closed off was Bruno's defense mechanism. Margaret wondered what he was like with other women. 

She didn't think too hard about it but she wondered if the Ambers, Tiffanys and Angies ever heard him laugh out loud. Did he hold them after lovemaking; was it even referred to as that? Were there expensive gifts and personal conversations? Did he give them nicknames? Were they able to look in his eyes and see into his heart and soul? 

"Are you alright?" Bruno asked. "You have the strangest look on your face. Is the food alright?" 

Margaret looked down at her untouched plate. 

"I haven't even tried it. What do you mean by strange? Odd strange, goofy strange, or strange strange?" 

Bruno smirked, slicing into his chicken Bolognese. 

"Marnie strange. There is a difference?" 

"Yes, very much so." 

"Why does that not surprise me?" 

"Who was on the phone?" 

"Eric. I've got business in Boston on Tuesday morning. It's an election year and I am pretty busy." 

Conversation over dinner was topical. Margaret needed to buy maternity clothes for the fall and winter. She had to change Brian's schedule around...he started Pre-K in September and would be in school from 9 to 1. 

"I can take him the week of Labor Day." Bruno said. "I am probably going to Flagstaff to spend some time with Alfie; I would love to have him with me." 

"OK." 

He wanted to know when she was due. 

"Mid-November. I'm really hoping she's not early; the reelection is a busy time." 

Bruno was glad the baby would come after the election. He was not going to say, not even to Margaret, but he would take the month of December and live in domestic bliss with his family. Damn, that sounded good. 

"Tell me what you're thinking." She said. 

"You first." 

"Actually I wondered if any of your casual girlfriends see the wonderful side of you." 

"No. This asshole has a reputation to uphold. Anyway I told you I was not seeing anyone." 

"That was February." 

"The drought continues. I'm truly too busy for the trivial things." 

"Mmm hmm. You're old now, they don't come calling like they used to huh?" 

"Oh please. I'm beating them off with a stick. The women cannot get enough of my charms. I am charming, you know." 

"Yeah, you're alright." 

Margaret laughed and Bruno joined in. He reached across the table to hold her hand as the server removed the dinner plates. 

"Can I interest you in dessert, Mr. Gianelli?" 

"I will be having dessert at home tonight, thank you. Another glass of Chianti, a Ginger ale with cherry and the check please." 

"Add a big slice of the triple chocolate mousse cake to go." Margaret said. 

"Yes ma'am." 

Bruno looked at her as the server walked away. 

"Oh, you have to share that with me." He said. 

"I will think about it." 

***

"I'm sorry, but I have to tell you that nothing beats this." Bruno said. 

"What?" 

"Spooning with you when you're pregnant. I never thought I would have another chance to enjoy it." 

Margaret took his hands, twirling her fingers around his. They had not made love, yet, they had not done a thing. As soon as they walked in the door Bruno led her up to the bedroom and undressed her completely. He got on his knees and kissed her stomach a few times. 

"Hello my precious little girl." He whispered to her belly. "Daddy loves you." 

"God, sometimes you're not reprehensible. I really love those times." Margaret replied. 

Bruno stood, took his clothes off, and they got into bed. It was getting dark out, still gray and rainy, as they lay in each other's arms. The stereo played softly in the background. The song was called Collide, but Bruno had no real clue who sang it. His body shifted as Margaret moved around in bed. 

"What are you doing Marnie? Aren't you comfortable?" 

She just smiled, sliding under the covers and running her hands over his thighs. 

"You know I think I've gained too much weight lately." Bruno mused. "I hate election time, I can never...oh God." 

Margaret shut him up by swallowing him whole. Bruno groaned, pushing her head further into his lap. 

"Oh God baby, you have gotten so good at this. Make me a promise; don't do this for anyone else but me. Promise...oh sweet God promise." 

Margaret smiled against his skin as he exploded with a cry of her name. He pulled her into his arms and a smoldering kiss. 

"I guess now would be a bad time to mention how I got so good at it?" Margaret hardly got the question out without laughing. 

"Please be joking. Oh God, my heart can't take it." 

Margaret couldn't stop laughing as she leaned to kiss his chest. Bruno tilted her chin and looked at her. 

"I love you woman." He said. 

"How much?" 

"Enough to tell you what the ring is worth." 

Margaret gasped. 

"Oh God, don't you dare!" she covered her ears and hummed. "I don't want to know." 

"You're kidding me? You have asked me 200 times in the past five years how much that ring cost. Now you don't want to know. I don't get it." 

"Its unseemly." Margaret reasoned. 

"When I used that excuse I got the scoff. You're an excellent scoffer you know." 

"Thank you. I don't care how much it cost." 

"You used to." Bruno replied. 

"Yes, I also used to wear a training bra. I don't anymore." 

"You know I never understood the point of those things. Either you have tits or you don't." 

"It's to keep them balanced as they grow. And to introduce you to the traumas of womanhood all wrapped up in lace and bows." 

"You are so damn odd. Why don't you care anymore?" 

"Because you love me." 

"Aha. I certainly do. Turn around Marnie." 

"Hey, what are you going back there for?" 

"I want to spoon you crazy woman." He laughed. 

Smiling, she complied and pressed the back of her body to the front of his. She sighed as he stroked her stomach. Margaret reached back to caress his beard; he kissed the palm of her hand. 

"Today turned out differently than I thought it would." She whispered. 

"That's an understatement. I didn't know I was going to be a father again...I didn't know I would stop running." 

"Running from what?" 

Bruno kissed her neck until Margaret moaned. 

"Everything. We can talk about it later; I want to stop talking now." 

"Me too. Are we staying in this position?" 

"You'll like it." Bruno said. 

"I always like it with you, and I have spooned before." 

"I will pretend I did not hear that." 

He slid inside her, being gentle as they made love. Margaret held tight to his hand, whimpering with each stroke. Bruno bent to kiss her shoulder. There were things to say, situations to discuss, not necessarily while they made love, but soon. Both Margaret and Bruno knew it would not be easy but it had to be done. 

"Oh God." She squeezed his hand as the passion overtook her. 

This forever. How wonderful, crazy, strange strange, and scary was that? Neither was sure of tomorrow though they would never give in to the fear. For five years they danced with each other, to each other, around each other, and away from each other...it was time. 

"Marnie." He groaned in his climax. 

Margaret breathed a sigh as Bruno pulled out and held her close. 

"I wish we were as good at everything else as we are at that." she said. 

"We will be." He replied, kissing her. 

***


End file.
